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S06E01 - Dungeons & Dragons - The Village of Hommlet - Episode One
Well, the problem is, is that honestly, at this point in time, I'm on an allowance from my uncle who's a magistrate. Kept thinking that they were, that they were going to reintroduce psionics in fifth edition at some point. And I think they're just not going to do it. I think it's never going to happen. They did loosely. They're what, in Tasha's, there's a couple of them. Doctor was like the soul knife, and then there's something for... Yeah, there's a psionic warrior for the fighter. Yeah. And there's, there's like an astral monk, but it's really not psionics. Yeah, but that's it. Yeah, it is. It doesn't, it, they hint at it, hint at like what psionics used to be, but yeah, it's not the same. It's nowhere near as interesting. Yeah. I mean, I can't really complain. It's a big game, and a lot going on. So I don't really mind that much. I just happen to be one of the things I love the most about second and third edition D&D where the psionics, because they were crazy and fun. And very weird. You know, when you can like, you can like turn your arms into like, you know, tentacles and things like that. That's pretty fun stuff. No. For reach or grappling purposes or both? Well, why not both? Yeah. Only. I guess you're right. Shoot for the moon with tentacle arms. So only for intimate purposes. Gross. Yeah. All right. That's why I never played that. You couldn't control if that's what you guys are into. No judgment. I'm just, I'm just, you know, I'm looking at my level one. When you go start taping, it just seems like it just seems like a super hero to me. Because I'm sorry to DC. Yeah, yeah. No. Yeah. I kind of felt that too. Like my armor, like my armor class is actually like 17 after armor sealed and dex modified. That's very good. No. First level characters are actually capable nowadays. It's invincible. You can still kill them. Oh, is that so? Well, we'll find it. Nothing gets to me. No, come up. I will tell you now that my character may be capable, but his player is not. So my hubris will go unpunished. Well, speaking of hubris and unpunished, let we have one new player with one new character who knows nothing about what's happened so far. So can we get some introductions to Kathy of the players and their characters and whatever you want to tell her. There were only two of us on last week. Like most people haven't met my character. Yeah. That's right. We should let some levels zeroing to do with Garrett even. But let's go still call one script. Let's just start with you. Oh, lovely. My favorite. I love starting. Yeah, you're starting. Well, yes. So I'm playing a high elf wizard. Oh, you would. By the name of Frankwind Hatpin. And what can I tell you about this guy? He is. He's a high elf. He's a snob who looks down on those who can't appreciate fine art. That's good. Much like myself. I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing right. I can't help it. I'm a perfectionist. So is my character. He is a chaotic good, which I like. He believes very much in freedom and that everyone should be free to pursue his or her own livelihood or there. Oh, no. I didn't sign on to a woke game. Oh. And let me see. His flaws are he'll do anything. For love. He had his hands on something rare or priceless. And I mean anything. So if you're gonna psionic up some tentacles there up. And then his under his bonds, he's got this thing where it says I created a great work for someone and then found them unworthy to receive it. I'm still looking for someone worthy. This thing that he managed to create allowed the user one time to transform a heart, the heart of a recently deceased creature into a ruby. And the person he created for wanted to do it to the heart of a king. And Frontwind found that very, very low level and disappointing. Why do you that when you could transform the heart of a dragon? Think how much that ruby would be worth. So he's kept this thing in his robes, pockets. I don't know what it is yet. Probably not for knowing us. It'll never transpire. So that is a Frontwind at pin. He is up. He is a guild artisan. This is background. So there you go. We talked a little bit about this last week column. Did you want to tie your background to anywhere specific on this map? You want to be from verbal bunk? I do don't care where he's from. Okay, it doesn't matter. You could decide. I was premature pinging. It's a thought. Got it. Okay. I'm here to kick down doors and die. Very good. And we're all out of doors. All right, Rob, what do you got? So I've got Jessica. He is a hill dwarf cleric. He was like, the gods chose him at an early age to do their bidding. And now this isn't the kind of cleric that's out proselytizing or trying to convert people. The gods know who their followers are. They don't need their message spread by anyone. But they do from time to time demand that someone newborn enter the priesthood and be dispatched at their whim to do their bidding. And that is what I do. Let's see. I see omens in every event and action. The gods try to speak to us. We just need to listen. And often, like the gods literally do give me signs of where I need to go. Like say, Hanlon, the gods give what they want and they get what they want. I go in the directions they point me toward is my ideal. My flaw is really a flaw. I took it anyway. Once I pick a goal, I become obsessed with it to the detriment of everything else in my life. And my bond is like, I actually all else being equal and much rather have been a dwarven craftsman and jeweler. And so I am like very much drawn to well-made masterwork, jewelry and craftsmanship. And I actually have a set of jewelers tools that I bought. Not that I'm a particularly talented jeweler because I never actually got trained in that because of my calling. May help with appraisals of jewels. Never mind. Never know. So that's it for me. I just want to make you aware that you can carry a war hammer. You're proficient with a war hammer or a war axe. I did. How am I perfect? I thought when I was reading, a dwarven can do that. Okay, because I was like, cleric. Okay, great. I'm going to switch from mace to or hammer because that makes a lot more sense for me. It's a D8. Yeah, yeah, you're you only have one attack. You're going to need all the damage you can get. Thank you. I didn't catch that in the dwarf description. Yeah, yeah. It's early on and some of that stuff can get glossed over. Yeah. But yeah, I've got to go to your cleric as well. That's good. I was bummed that I had to go with mace instead of hammer. So I'm glad to go for him. Yeah, that's kind of the joys of being a dwarf cleric. You actually get a weapon that's worth useful. Yay. Yeah. And I think we decided that you are actually from. Oh, right. From the western part of this map, maybe even near more or less that village of Sabanwich. Yeah, I was in the hills to the west of whatever that town was to the west. Yeah. Okay. And there's just like dwarven settlements scattered around there and there's foothills and mountains. That is all. Okay. So who do we want to have go next? Garrett or Kathy? Oh, it's up to you, Kathy. You want to roll for it? No, I'm going to insist that you do it. You go next. Wait, sorry. I'm a mess, mostly because I'm losing my voice for some reason. So go ahead. So I have Jorgen Glimelminth. He is a fighter, human fighter from Verbal Bank. And he's been traveling around with his brother trying to make local maps to try and get the glib name out there. So people don't buy globes, they buy glibes and other glib map association and accessories. So that's important, but he's out on his own. He said, "Screw you, brother. You're going to run the shop. I'm going to go off and do my thing." And so he's been helping just caravans go backwards and forwards between Verbal Bank and wherever. And he's in Hamlet to have some fun. And he likes to drink. And that's kind of there. What? On my nature, he's got a wanderlust and his family is the most important thing in his life. Just went out with his brother for so long. Terribly sweet. So Verbal Bank is definitely the biggest city around that there's like a duke that's there. He kind of lords over the place. And it's a little sketchy, but his domain technically extends throughout everything that can be seen on this map. But starting around the Hamlet area, people are, you know, they'll pay lip service to Verbal Bank's kingdom and rulership. But otherwise, you know, they'd like being left alone. Hamlet does sit at a crossroads. There are towns further to the south along the small river there, the brand of run. And there are more towns to the east. Nulb would be the closest one, which is not pictured on the map, as you can see just now. There aren't great ways to the west of the mountains. Mostly when people want to go west, they're in Verbal Bank and they take river travel. And they'll head towards the coast. I mentioned all this because there's every reason you could be in Hamlet just because, like I said, that's something of a crossroads for land trade routes near Verbal Bank. Like that's kind of where trade is going to gather before heading up to Verbal Bank. And it's also where trade would get dispersed for stuff coming from Verbal Bank, if that makes sense. So Garrett, I don't know how much excuse you want there. I'm always looking for ways to like link the characters up without having to just meet at a bar. So that could be your reason to be there, if you want, or we can come up with another reason. I'm just kind of wandering around and honestly just looking for any type of opportunity. So I'm just I'm just going to crush face young human. If I had met him previously, like I was like, I definitely had old men's and signs and rolling the bones and things like that. I was making a beeline for Hamlet. So if we were hanging out and he was looking for a direction, that's the direction I was going in. So for you, your character, Rob, your clan or whatever, like the religion you're a part of are on really good terms with the Church of St. Cuthbert in Hamlet. And the worship of St. Cuthbert is the largest worship in this part of the world. There are a lot of other faiths. Like I would say the second most popular faith is just it's just called the old the old faith, which is essentially like druidic nature worship. People, you know, farmers are often like, yeah, yeah, the old faith. That's good stuff. And Hamlet has represent representatives of both. But the key thing here, is that about two months ago, her name is Canada's E Day. And she said that she was heading off to investigate something, but you know, it would be back. And she hasn't been back. And so someone just kind of elected himself to become the new canon of the Church of St. Cuthbert in Hamlet. And the locals of Hamlet are like, well, they, you know, Canada's E Day was very beloved. This guy, nobody likes. And they're also kind of suspicious of him. And your superiors suddenly aren't getting, like, the communication has essentially been cut off. And so I think one motivating factor to get you into Hamlet could be like, you want to find out what might have happened to Canada's E Day. And also, and barring that, at least, can you at least negotiate back into the good graces of the Church of St. Cuthbert? Because, you know, this was good stuff. That sounds good. That seemed reasonable. Yeah, yeah. And there's no reason you can't have met Garrett's character somehow or other, possibly in Hamlet at the inn, which we can talk about a bit. Crossroads or the bridge comes into the town. Well, and if nothing else, like, people, if they had the option wouldn't travel alone, I assume from town to town, they'd like meet up with others headed in the same direction. Oh, yeah, I've got a glaive and like hand axes or hammer and a shield. And so I look like I can handle myself. Look, like, even a first level fighter is going to look incredibly intimidating to almost everybody. So yeah, calm. How might we get you into Hamlet? Frank Wind is going to be very interested in this Church of St. Cuthbert, because churches are good spots for things of value, whether they be of monetary value or mystical value. Is he also aware of this missing canoness? He certainly can be. Yes, he would certainly, if he had caught wind of that, would see this as an opportunity to worm his way into the religious orders there. And maybe see if there's anything that he could perhaps pocket or find useful for his experiments. So here's another motivating factor for you, potentially, which might be better. I'm going to throw this at you and you can decide. There are some retired adventurers who have taken up residence in Hamlet. One's a wizard and the other is a fighter. They're joined at the hip and they're creating a fortress, a citadel there. And they have purportedly heaps of treasure to pay for all this. And also, they also want a place to store it and also a place to study it. Like the wizard in particular is very interested in studying all the things that he's gathered over his years of adventuring. So there's that. You can try and insulate yourself with them. And one thing they're doing here, the fighter of this pair, is trying to get the village to form up a militia because there have been some increases in raids that are coming from the east, which is new. These people had cleared out the cobalds and the goblins that were kind of nearby. There are elves in the forest. And so it was seen as relatively peaceful. But raids, I've suddenly started. They're these bandits and no one's been able to identify them. And a few of the residents have gone missing and not seen again. Not just candidacy day. Just a couple of farmers here and there have literally just gone missing and never seen again. And so they're thinking that maybe someone could figure out what's happened. Like, can anybody figure out what's happened? And there might be a reward involved. No, I'm not interested in that. No, yes. I'll do that. Okay. Yes, he would be. He would be up for that. Sure. That sounds good. We've got three of you. And now let's move on to Kathy's character. Take it away, Kathy. What? Well, um, all right, so it's like my name is Poppy or at least you guys can call me Poppy. It's only once you get to know me that you get to learn what my given name was. I am a tiefling paladin. And I'm chaotic. Good. I'm trying very much to work against my tiefling nature. So that's why I sort of went the spiritual path of being a paladin. But the thing is, is I like to kick ass. So that's why I that I looked towards that particular field or that set, that group, those, those are my people. Basically, I'm six feet tall, but I'm only like 16 years old. But I get, I can fool people a lot. They think I'm older all the time, because I'm six feet tall. I like to lie a lot. I like to pretend I lie. Yes, tell stories, pretend things like, for example, like I'm nobility. But nobody really knows. Only me. I am convinced, and this would be a flaw, I suppose, but I mean, I'm 16. So what do I know? I'm convinced that no one can fool me like I can fool them. And most of the time, I might actually be right about that, but not always. Oh, my bonds are, and I, I, this is something that could come out as time goes on. I owe everything to my mentor, Robert C. Walker, may he rot in jail or hell, or one of those places, I don't know, may he rot. I'm mostly here because, well, for one thing, I kind of have to make a living, and most of my living is kind of depends on the suckers that are around, because, you know, like charms blow crops. I do a, no, because I like to con people a lot, and, and, you know, somehow get money out of them, but I'm trying to figure out, in my very teenage way, how to make something of myself, how to become something big. So I go to what I see as like the bigger cities, whether or not I actually know what a city is, that's no other matter entirely. And I am really sorry, you guys, because I've just had so much going on, and I just, I haven't been able to think about things. I'm also 16. You wouldn't know, you don't know me. Exactly. That's right. Let's see. And then one thing that you might find out about me that a lot of people don't know is that, despite sort of this kind of superficial weirdness, and being kind of typically 16, and all that sort of stuff, I really have a thing for insects. I really like them. I think they're cool. And so I follow, I follow a particular goddess, you know, privately, Braum, and, and I, and I carry her holy symbol with me. And that's, that's really, I don't really know what else to say about that. I mean, I have, you know, I don't think I need to go into all of my particular abilities and stuff. Those will come out. I have Alcorn's. They're very, they're very pretty, because of course. And let's see. And oh, and you know, while I'm trying to, to escape my sort of demonic reputation, because of my, because of my bloodline and stuff, it's considered infernal, after all. I got a tattoo. It's probably one of the reasons why my parents kicked me out. But I got a tattoo, and it's, it looks like a birthmark on, you know, it's kind of just above my lip, but it's a heart. But you can, it's hard to see, but it's still, it's a heart when you get close enough. Was it going to say mom? No, I don't talk to her anymore. Anyway, and I'm blue, I'm bluish, I'm kind of a lime wash blue. So it's modeled. It's not, it's not solid color, and my eyes are copper, as are my horns are copper too. And they're horns, they're not antlers, they don't fall off. But they look like loose antlers. Oh, I'm sorry. So they're not, they're not, yeah, they're not flat wide, but they're, they're very big. Yes. That's about, that's not all I have to say right now, I think. Right. Happy Poppy. Has there been anything that we've mentioned that might get you into the homelit environments that might interest your character or shall we come up with something else? Well, except for the idea of, you know, since I'm on my own, I'm trying to find my way and just going into places that potentially I can either make money or get in with people who, because I'm alone. So, you know, I maybe, oh, you know, I'm trying to find people who I can learn from, but why don't did you have some ideas? Um, I've been, I've been trying to ponder here. I haven't thought of anything specific. We could make this easy. You could literally just have met up with Jordan. Jordan is the storator. Yep. He's the fighter. Okay. Mm hmm. You could just met up with them. You could be, you could be, for example, from Berba Bonk and maybe have an interest in mapping and you're like, Oh, and then you met the brother and the brothers like, Hey, I'm off doing this. My own thing. You're like, Yeah, that sounds good. Why not? You could have an interest in, you know, because you want to like prove yourself to people. You could have caught, if you're from anywhere around this area, anywhere from like anywhere near Amlet, as far as Berba Bonk to the north, you could have heard about the raids that have seemed to have come up out of nowhere. Wait, doesn't your character know something about history? Do I, am I wrong? No, no. You could have just misheard the village name and really like eggs. I thought you're going to the village of Amlet. Well, I'm not stupid. I'm actually not stupid, but you know, so there's that you you could have gotten maybe you felt a little something about like the the missing candidates, you know, like it's not your religion, but you're like, that just isn't a mystery and reward. Yeah. Missed. Well, and then there's a like as far as like improving yourself, there's that fighter I mentioned in Homelit, like he again, he's trying to create a militia, and maybe you could be like, I could train these grunts. I know, I know stuff like that. Those are all things that come to mind. Mm-hmm. What do we think? Anything? None of it? Um, let's see. I sort of have an interest in in trying to to learn more from other people. So, I suppose meeting up with Jorgon or or hearing about Jorgon or something, you know. Would you want to have come from Berba Bonk? Sure. It's a big city that it'd be easier for you to pull off your your shenanigans there. That's for sure. Yes. I think that I I'm pretty sure that I I continue to look for more populated areas because that's that's the only way I can, you know, like get things. And I've got a I've got a glaive. So I don't know if you've seen, like, you know, pull arms or something like that before. So, you know, I'm going to talk about it. Yeah, that's kind of an act as trees, if you want it. It's definitely like a guy. Um, I will, yeah, I could do because as long as I mean, I can show you how to throw javelins if you want. That'd be cool. I don't have any javelins. Or how to use a trident. What? You got a trident? I got a trident. Wait. Yeah, let's we'll just we can just talk about weapons and armor and junk forever. That would be cool. Okay. I'm down. I'd really like that, I think. All right. So, Poppy and Jorgen met up somehow in first of all, possibly at the mapping store or whatever, hit it off. And you're heading to Hamlet for a really just literally adventure. Yep. Okay. You'll get there. We do have Jenny's Alaric, the thief. I was going to ask, do we want to introduce Alaric or do we want to wait for her and just like fit her in the next session? Based on the character, it's a dragonborn thief or I'm sorry, rogue criminal. So, I mean, whatever you want to do with that. But that's, I just wanted to mention that he had Jenny's character as a rogue. Yeah. There's an entirely different hook for her that we could use. Yeah. So, if you want me to roll anything, I got the character sheet. Just let me know what you need. Are there personality notes? Or are you just leaving that for Jenny entirely? I think we should leave that stuff for Jenny. Yeah, just because you're just a mysterious NPC for now. I love all that blank for her. Yeah. All I'm getting at is I just wonder if maybe you actually like communicated with her and she gave you some ideas or something. Like, I'm just trying to figure out how much input she's had. No, I rolled her up a basic, the basic character, but I didn't, I didn't fill in any of the personality traits or any of them. Got it. Okay. Okay. So, she actually doesn't even know what she's got just yet. Oh, crossbow, always helpful. Oh, multiple daggers and a short short bow. Yeah. Good stuff. What we'll say is that she's in Homlet and we'll talk to her. We'll talk to her about it later. Sure. And maybe, maybe she just won't, maybe her character just won't participate today, which should be fine. It's not going to be the worst thing. Okay. So, when we go to Homlet, there's one obvious place that everybody stays at. It's the one establishment in town. It is kind of regionally well-known. It's well-known enough that people who've traveled outside of Verbalanc have heard of it because the food is really good. Osler Gundagoot is known for his, he and his wife. Good wife Gundagoot are both known for their cooking. It's, you know, so it's like, you know, regionally famous. Like, certainly, you dwarves would have heard of it to the west. And people come from the east as well, occasionally, like from Nolb. If they're traveling at all, they make sure to stop at Homlet at the end of the welcome winch. So, it's likely that's where everybody is staying. And with that, you're in town. And just take a pause and see if any of you talk to each other or meet up, like, you know, Poppy and Jorgen could certainly be doing something. You're all going to attract attention. Poppy, in particular. Tieflings are incredibly rare. And so, you definitely attract a lot of attention. So, when you show up to the end with Jorgen, you get the eyes. Jorgen may have his pole arms, which you probably have to stand up outside or take in and put to the wall or something like that. But, like, this is a hop in place. You can spell the good food, but it quiets down significantly when, you know, you work your way in because you got to kind of turn your head a little bit to get your antlers, horns through the door. And everybody's like, "Oh." Now, so this is not nearly as cosmopolitan as Robobock, where there are at least some Tieflings. People know Tieflings. I think you are probably the first any of these people have ever seen. Oh, my God, they're staring. They are staring. They must know me. They must know me, but it's okay. Let's just go get some drinks. So, Jorgen, just going to, you know, work his way up to the bar and kind of just like still talking about weapons and stuff, like trying to keep everybody else outside of our bubble and just kind of like scanning the room and seeing what people are doing and kind of taking this time of Poppy being the center of attention to just kind of take a beat of what's going on with the room, but more than willing to pay for a pitcher with some glasses and see what we can find. Okay. Osler, he's like, "Oh, well, you two aren't from around here. Where are you from? And what can I get you to drink?" Good sir, your name, please. Hello, I'm Jorgen. Jorgen, Glimel and Smith, Glimel and Smith. You may have heard of my family's maps. My brother's quite the map maker. However, I'm in town just adventuring out in the world. And we're looking, me and my friend here, we're looking for some drink and maybe some food and possibly place to stay. You know, we're just in town. Adventuring, say adventuring. Oh, well, you, have you heard about the great battles with the Temple of Elemental Evil from years ago? This town featured prominently in that. Have you heard those stories? You got to get them. What? Oh, yeah. Little Evil. Oh, big deal. Very proud of our heritage. You, yeah, you should talk to Rufus and Bern about that stuff when they come in. Hit him up. They'll give you some good stories. Who is this? Or Mr. Bern? Yeah. Oh, yeah. They're building, you know, they're building the big keep you must have seen over there in the east, eastern part of town. What do you want to do these guys? Are they lumberjacks or what do they do? They're building buildings? Yes, this is sexy. So this is the end. I'm pinging the end here. Satisfying. So it's big. And then you can see, you've probably have seen it. So over here, this is the only finished part right now, this keep. They're building up a wall. There's a bunch of workers camps up here in the north side of the road and other buildings here. So you would have come into town from the north, from up here, across the bridge, come into town, past several buildings. You can, you know, this is the church up here to the north. So on and so forth. And then a bunch of residences and small businesses, like if you need carpenter, you know, a weaver or something like that, we could find them for you. But you're all going to pretty much end up here at the inn. Well, and keep do you, by any chance, have a room with a view of the of the water of the river? Yes, we do. Something, something be fitting my, you know, my status. Your status? Oh, my status. Well, your name, madam. I'm I'm Lady Popium. Lady, Lady Popium. Oh, no, nobility, is it? Well, I don't usually like to, you know, broadcast that. Oh, well, we could be very discreet here. We get to all kinds of coming through hamlet, all kinds. We could be. Thank you. Absolutely. We have, we do have a room up there. Is, is your companion, your squire, or a companion, just a, what do we look like, a squire? We met, we met on the road, dude. Oh, but I, I intend to hire him at some point, possibly. Well, I guess I might be her bodyguard then. I could always use a bodyguard. So, yes, he and I needed a place to discuss also what sort of a position he could fill with me. I mean, yes, I mean, if you require a nice room, it's, well, I'm sure you can afford it. It's five silver a night. Is that okay? Well, the problem is, is that honestly, at this point in time, I'm on an allowance from my uncle, who's a magistrate, and I'm waiting for my most recent installment. Is there any way we could get that room? And I pay you once I get that particular allowance in? I'm, oh, lady, I hate it. Surely, surely, surely, for me. Why don't you try and convince him? So you've got some skills for this. How, try rolling your persuasion check. So d20, add the bonus next to your persuasion skill and tell me what you get. Doo doo doo. Oops. We are rolling dice tonight. Who knew? Who knew? Let's try for the opinion. Do it. Don't suck. 19. 19. Wow. He's like, how soon do you, do you think your allowance would come through? Some time in the next form sometime. Oh, that that should be just fine. That should be fine. Oh, good. Yes. And it's for both of you, yes, in the same room, because you know, yes, yes, it's for both of us. Of course, of course. In the meantime, please, please take a seat. Thank you. Thank you. I already know what Poppy's passive perception is. What is yours, Jorgen? 15. 15. Oh, yes. Off in a corner, you happen to see a couple of men. They're not the cleanest, but they're also not filthy, but it looks like they're worn and they have been on the road or something like that. Their clothes are not in the best of condition, but they're trying to like, kind of sneak looks at the two of you and they seem incredibly interested in following what you're going and they are definitely studying. Both of you have pretty nice gear. It's clearly in better shape than probably a better shape than any gear they might have. And they're they're noticing they look, they see. Okay. So knowing that, then I'll kind of guide us kind of the opposite side of the room and just keep an eye on them. Okay. Fair enough. Where are we going? Well, I got these drinks. Let's sit down and talk about talk about how we can use a whip. I've never used one before. Have you used a whip? There's a there's a young there's a young woman who comes by your table and she plops down a couple of drinks and says that dinner will be served within the hour. I'm hungry. I heard this place got great food. So let's just see. I heard the same thing. Oh, yeah. You won't be disappointed. I promise. All right. Let's put a pin in that and let's let's just I'm going to randomly pick a well column. We started with you. So we'll just start with you again. Okay. Come on in town. He would also head to the inn because that would seem to be it would seem to be the obvious place in order to pick up some trade and some tips. Okay. Can I ask how you're dressed? Well, as you can see from my picture, he is splendidly attired. Oh, I see. His name is Frankwind, a hat pin for God's sake. He is a, you know, he takes meticulous care in his appearance and presentation. He has a well, well waxed mustache, which curls upwards, pointing up to the elf goddess of the moon that he that he worships. He is in splendid garments, splendid with a shimmering sky blue cape. And he also wears a tall sky blue hat, which matches. Okay. Very nice. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. He's clearly not from here. Right. Let's assume you arrive on the same day for the same time, you know, happy coincidence. And one of the first things you notice is, I mean, you're relatively cultured. So you've seen Tieflings before, but this is an outlandish creature in this environs. And so you do notice, like, Oh, look at that. And looks like a pretty tough character sitting next to the Tiefling. So you come in, you are greeted, says, Oh, welcome, good sir. I'm, I'm the oscillator, gun to goot. Can I get you something to drink a room to stay perhaps? Hmm. What kind of rooms do you have? What do you require? We have a couple of large rooms left over and a couple of small rooms left over. And I assume the bedding is simply straw baths. No, no, no, no. These are mattresses. Oh, mattresses. Yes. We went, we got them from verbal book. Can I perhaps get a room with a river view? I'm afraid the last of those rooms was just taken before you got here. Any inclines his head towards the Tiefling and her and her compatriot? Interesting. Very well, then, I will take the best room you have available. Fair enough. That'll be three silver per night. And that that will include board. He could pay that. Okay. Can you tell me a little about the horned woman? Not much other than that they arrive together. They, she appears to be a noble woman of some type of minor noble women, if I have it right. So noble woman is, I believe so. Yes, Franklin's interest is, is peaked at that. And as soon as he hears the words, minor noble woman, he immediately just walks away from the bar and walks over, walks over to this table that these two are sitting at. Okay, take it away. He bows graciously. Good day. Madam, good day, indeed. May I introduce myself, Bronkwind Hatpin, guild artisan of the guild of alchemists and apothecrists at Bobblebunk, whatever the hell it's called, Bunklebunk. I know, the names are great for Bobunk. Oh, my. Would it be impertinent for me to act to join you? And I'm going to, uh, look over at Jorgen and see if he has a response to that. And he mutters under his breath that I, I fear there is a better class of client at this table. I guess it's okay. Yeah, you look cool. Yes, sit down. He looks very cool in his. Yeah. Please have a seat, sir. Bronkwind, you noticed that they have drinks in front of them and you do not. Well, Bronkwind doesn't, doesn't drink. So he brushes out. He looks at the, he looks at the bench beside, um, poppy and brushes it. He takes out a little kerchief and brushes it away and then lifts his hat off his head, sits down and places his hat beside him. It is a little stand here, isn't it? I will say that even, even poppy can tell, she can just feel the other people's eyes just, they can't help themselves. You know, they're these three incredibly curious characters, ostentatiously dressed and appearance as well. So for example, Jorgen, I said that, you know, there were a couple of people that were looking surreptitiously at you. Now it's like everybody's just kind of occasionally just openly like looking at, none of its hostile, but the curiosity is so peaked amongst these people. And two dudes from before are... Their curiosity is of a different type. It looks a little craftier. Their eyes are a little bit more lidded. Sure, but still attentive. Oh yeah, yeah. But now they're not trying to be so quiet about it because they've known it, even, they've noticed that everybody's looking at all of you. Like, this doesn't happen. So, yeah. Is there any more discussion these three characters would like to have amongst themselves? No, Frankwind will signal roughly to the barkeep and ask for a plate of finely washed raw vegetables to be served to him and a glass of a glass of spring water. So you signal, you signal a young woman comes over, the same young woman that was there earlier. She says, "Ah, yes, you just need water, and did you say just raw vegetables?" Yes. Would you like your meal served soon or with everybody else's meal? With everyone else's would be acceptable. Okay. I would like the water now. Of course, I shall bring it shortly. And she hustles off and she brings you a mug of water. Whether it's spring water or not, maybe only you can tell, but it's potable. It's fine. So what brings you? What brings you to town, sir? I have heard that the church of St. Cuthbert may be in need of some assistance, and I feel a man of my talent could be put to some use. Hmm. What would those talents be? Why, madam, I am a wizard. A wizard? What of the finest in the land? Well, that's, that's terribly impressive. That's why you were the head. Karl, what is your passive perception? And the cape. My passive perception is 11. Okay. Thank you. That's 10 plus wisdom modifier, if I have that right for a future reference, right? Okay. Correct. Okay. Also, if you have proficiency and perception, that would make you go higher. I don't. Because my wisdom, my wisdom modifier is minus one. Because he only has a wisdom of mine. You are proficient in perception and being an IELV. So your passive perception should be plus. Yeah. Well, plus plus your proficiency modifier, yes. It brings them up. Yeah. So 13. Okay. It's good to know so much. Hey, get out of this game. Yeah. We don't want, we don't like your kind around here. All right. No, I think it's great. I like the very advantage we can get. Yes. Yes. Oh, you're going to need it because I cheat. Exactly. I trust no one, no DM. Right. Right. Fair enough. So would Franklin notice anything about these two individuals in the other corner who are, who are eyeing the table? No, not particularly. No. Oh, okay. No more than, no more than anybody else. No, that would make sense because he's not a very, he's a, not a wise man. He's very intelligent, but not wise. He's just arrogant. No, so, so far, only Jorgon has really noticed. But let's get Rob finally involved here. Sorry to make you wait, Rob. Thank you for your patience. All right. You've come from a different direction. You're the only one that has not come from Berba Bonke. Mm hmm. So I've come from the West and clearly, I mean, I would have known enough about town to know that. Well, the N is a place to stay, but kind of where places and people converge. So yeah, I would start at the inn as well. And I do a quick casting of runes and the message they give me is, "For all eyes meet, there are your companions." All right. So you're a dwarf and actually you're, you know, you don't draw any particular attention, the dwarves are relatively commonly seen around here. And again, because of the very kind relationship that your church and the church of St. Kuthbert have, you, um, you also are aware of a druid. So you, you, you, you, you at least, if you hadn't met Canonis E. Day personally, you at least knew of her by name. And you could probably recognize her. You also know by name, and you can decide whether you've met him or not, Jeru, who is the druid that resides down here in the druid grove, which is the other faith really represented here in Hamlet directly. It doesn't mean that, you know, you guys are all buddy, buddy, but maybe you've met him possibly. Both of the... Yeah, yeah. Both both, both Canonis E. Day and Jeru are, they're higher level than you. Let's just put it that way. Yeah. So, you know, they're higher station as well. And they're very well respected in town and your superiors respected them as well. So you all got a long well. So, I don't know if you wanted to see, if you wanted to go to the church ahead of time and try and talk with the new Canon, who you haven't yet met. His name is Turjan, or you could try and meet Jeru, or you go straight to the inn and whatever you like. Yeah, no. Jessica's plan is to start at the inn, get the lie of the land in town, maybe even get some information about this new Canon before meeting him. Okay. So, Jessica will walk into the inn, cast his eyes about, follow the attention of everyone that converges on this foppish elf, this tiefling, and this dude armed to the tief. And realize that, yes, this is where all eyes meet in this room. Jessica could have grunts, grunts bemuesably. Rob, is there like a title or anything for like people of your religion? So, I mean, words like church and priests and things like that are pretty strong words. There are some like war priests, you know, who are important in battle. Mostly, ritual stuff is done by the elders. No, like, I don't really do much for my fellow dwarves. I get sent out to do things on behalf of the gods. So, no, I mean, they would just recognize me as a dwarf. Apart from, I'm dressed like very utilitarian neatly. Well, camped, arguably even well-pruned. But the only thing that looks at all fancy is a pendant, a hammer pendant on a necklace. That's not particularly valuable looking, but well-ropped, well-forged. So, I was going to ask if you have like some obvious trappings of being a cleric. So, that necklace would be the thing that people who knew about Dorvish religion, they would recognize that as a sign that I was. Well, the reason I mention that is, I ask, is because Ostrigundicoot is going to be familiar with Dorvish. Oh, sure. And so, like, I'm just wondering how easily you make yourself recognizable. Oh, yeah. No, that pendant would be the one thing that would be the giveaway. Okay, great. Well, Gun to Good Hails, you're so good, sir. We haven't. I mean, I don't, I, you know, I have to admit, I'm not very good about recognizing faces, but certainly you and your brethren and sisters are welcome here at any time. Please make yourself welcome, and I will get you. Whatever you're serving, the most folk, I'm not particular about what I eat, but I am hungry. I will say that. Oh, meal will be coming. If all you need is the meal and the drinks tonight, that'll be a silver. And, of course, if you need a room, please stay. You have lodgings elsewhere. Do you have lodgings? Maybe elsewhere? Are you? I do not. Okay. Well, of course you go home and room will be fine for me. Well, if you're going to stay in the common room, that would be merely a three copper. I pay up. You're busy now, but briefly, I've heard that the canon S has disappeared. Know you of anything? Oh, I know only that she's been gone low these last almost three months now, and very mysterious. She thought she told us she would be back within a within a 10 day. And it's been many 10 days. And it's very worrisome. And then this turgon came down from verma bonk and said that he is here to be the new canon in place of canon as he day. He says you are skeptical? Well, I mean, should I be distrustful? He knows the rights. He clearly has power, and he seemed to be known. Calmer. He knew he knew a turgon. So it's this seems to be all in the up and up, but they're obviously worried about the absence. I mean, turgon seems less worried. In fact, he seems quite pleased with his new position and has increased the tithe demands, which I must admit has not made him friends here in town. And I ask you that odd trio over there pointing toward those three local youth, are they? This constitutes a joke for Jessica. No, no, no, no new arrivals as yourself. They seem to have just welcomed in the the curious, curiously, be robed elf. So if you're looking for company, may have that table will be the table for you. I'm not so much looking for company as I appear to be fitted for it. I'll take my food at their table, if you will. As you wish, drinks will be coming, and you go to the table and pull up a chair without asking. I'm Jessica of the of the Red Granite Hills. Well, hello, sir. That is very bold of you to sit here. I am meant to. You're meant to set the set the Northern Granite Hills or Southern Granite Hills because Southern Granite Hills tends to slope a little gently south. Red Granite Hills. Oh, dang. Oh, man. Oh, jeez, that's one of my brother makes the map. So I'm sorry, dude. I'm sorry. I was trying to sound cool. It's okay. You're very cool. You know, shh. Okay, wait. I mean, hey, dwarf, dude. Looking good. Looking good. Welcome to the table. I make all necessary pleasantries to you. I am here appear to be faded to meet you here. I am Jessica, my dang choir as to who you are. Uh, lady, Po-Pam. Jessica Nod. Jorgen. Uh, it's gli-glibbles, but they call me Sloppy Joe. So, yeah. Wizard, Hatpin. Jessica Nod's intern at each introduction. Welcome to our table. You may have called me Jessica Red Granite if you seek a second name. I am here to look for a missing canoness of this village. What brings you all here? I don't know that you need to know that. Jessica's not. But I- but I am always interested in the- in the goings on of any particular place to which I travel. And you? Good, off wizard. My business is my own, sir. Are you wearing any obvious, like, finally Rod Jewelry? The boss that you are? I'm sorry. Rob is asking. No, please tell me ask you. Are you wearing any finally Rod Jewelry, sir? I'm- yeah, I- like, would I- anything? There's a nice, there's a nice gem in the, uh, in the center of my- of my hat. Hmm. That is a fine cut on your gem. I respect that. That's sapphire. Oh, oh, a fine cut of sapphire on your hat. You like the cut of my gem? I do. Are you so interested in jewelry? You will find that is common among the Hildorves. Hmm, I see. And what brings you down from your hill dwarf? A canonist of St. Cuthbert has disappeared apparently, and the gods, Moradin, have a good relationship with them, so I am here to look for her. I would not say no to such stalwart companions as you if you have found no other source of adventure. I will be making inquiries around the town tomorrow once I am settled in. Perhaps we could all share a common room together if you haven't already found. I understand that lice are few and far between here and fleas as well. Unless you're fond of insects, of course. Well, I definitely find- find them interesting, obviously. I kind of, you know, show you my little pendant of a wasp. I was gonna ask how prominently you display your own symbol there. I don't think it's right out in the open, but it's caught in the folds of what I'm wearing, essentially. So, you know, but it doesn't mean you can't- you can see that I've got something on, you know, like that. But this isn't any kind of like, obviously, evil deity symbol or anything, right? Your insect thing. Well, not- yeah, no, no, it's not. Yeah, it's not- no. So, but I mean, I look a little evil, so it might seem a little strange. Jessica, don't judge. Well, that's kind of you. My room is very large, and I do have my brave guard here with me, so I would feel safe if we shared a room. Oh, I was just going to have one of the straw mats on the floor or whatever that's due to common room here. There are four such pallets would be made available for that, you know, assuming you inquired or whatever, yeah, so there would be such common room pallets. Yeah, but these hybrid types I gather have already gotten the five- the best rooms in the house. I haven't left the comfort of our guild hall just to sleep on a mat. You might as well join us. That seems reasonable. I thank you. I shall join you for breakfast, but I will not sleep on a mat. You don't have to sleep on a mat, sir. Why don't we see what the accommodations are like in my... Still, I've already paid good silver for my room. Okay. I've paid good copper, but I'll happily crash. Does this mean that you no longer need your room with the river view? Oh, no. I will keep my room with the river view. But it's large. It's supposed to be the largest room in the in the in the place. I submit this to you. Some of you say you seek adventure, and I am here for a task. If any of you would be willing to help me with my task, I would be willing to help you who would adventure you seek. Does this seem reasonable? Well, I guess so. Jessica's a kind of to the point kind of guy. Right. I sure, why not? I mean, yes, of course. That could be very interesting. What do you think, Jorgen? I am here for adventure. I am here to provide aid for the future of common. Uh, it's he fling. A high elf and dwarf want me to hang out with them. Yeah, dude. I am down. Good. That's good. I'm glad. I get friends with my muscles. He's going to flex his muscles. All right. That doesn't go past my notice. And frequent hat pin. I dare say finding this canonist would be a help to the local people. Perhaps I also hear talk of a militia being assembled. Why don't we do all of it? Do all of it. Yes. Says Franco in nibbling on a radish. I've been looking for adventure for quite a while. Let's pass radish season. I am a wizard, sir. No gong farmers here. Okay. Who would you have the highest passive perception? I heard 15. I was gonna. Oh, yeah. I only got 14. Here's the 14. Okay. The 15, which was Jorgen, right? Correct. One of the two people at the table, like not too long after, after Jesker sat down, got up with a purpose and left the building. Okay. That's fine. Cool. Got it. I'm gonna keep it to myself. I'm just gonna be aware of what the other dude's doing and see if I can see the other dude come back in, but it's just gonna be like on my radar, but okay. I'm still thinking I'm the baddest thing in the room, so sure, not too big. So it's wrong. What's wrong? What do you, what's wrong? Well, you're just, I mean, you know, you're not really paying attention to me. Yeah, people. All right. So you got to understand. I was my brother's babysitter for the last 10 years. And Tommy Young, how to protect them, taught me how to use the glaive. And that's what I was supposed to do. He would fall off a cliff while writing a map if he could. In fact, he's tried it three or four times and I've had to save him every last time. So apologize if my eyes might glaze over and I'm not paying attention to everybody else, but I have been trained from a very young age to look and save my brother. So I just, everywhere I go, I'm kind of keeping an attention on everybody else. Well, did you see something? Sure. Did you see something? I see people. Okay. There's people moving around. There's people doing things, but what I can see, we're okay. I don't know anybody here either. This is all just kind of new to me. So I'm just taking it in. Okay. How about we put it this way? Let's just all be on guard and make sure that we know where all our things are and that way we can start from a basic level. Okay. That's cool. Okay. So depending on how much longer you want to just sit here and converse, just before dinner is served, that guy that you saw leave, Jessica or Jorgen comes back, sits down at the table, whispers something to his companions here, they nod together. Dinner is served. All right. You all eat, you get your raw vegetables, frequent. They are very raw and very crunchy. The water remains. Is it spring water? So hard to know, but you can drink it. Probably not the tastiest water you've ever had. Is it spring? Is it summer? Is it fall? It's early summer. It's about May, an equivalent. You know, whatever the world of Greyhawk says May is. Hopefully they call it May. Hopefully their year is 12 months, seven day weeks. Doesn't matter. It's counting days. It's all about we're on day one. So you have your, yeah, you have your dinner. It's, it's, it is actually pretty good. Maybe not exactly the finest meal you've ever had, but definitely better than an inn in a small village deserves to have. So, you know, two stars on the Michelin rating. Not bad. Not bad. Michelin stars. Yeah, not bad. I realize they had these here. Why did you see what they did with those potatoes? Kind of amazing. Yeah, those, they're pretty cool. I wish they had some ketchup though. Don't ruin it. Just enjoy it. I'm allowed to like ketchup. I don't understand like a peanut fruit. Okay, evening gets on a little bit and somebody enters the inn. It just looks like a just a regular person, but they come to your table with a purpose. And he says, I excuse me. Don't tell me a gentle lady, but I have a request for any nods his head and looks directly at Poppy and Jorgon and says, but Rufus is interested if in parlaying with the two of you, if you have time maybe tomorrow or the day after. I'm not sure how long you're staying, intending to stay in town. Who's Rufus? He cocks his head. Rufus. Ah, you very, you really are new. Rufus is helping to create the militia here in town. He and Bern are working up the protection now that it appears that there might be enemies about and we have interest to protect. And is that what he wants to discuss with us? I could not presume what Rufus is going through Rufus' mind, but he shrugs. You do seem like a formidable pair. Regardless, this is not for me to say, what response shall I give him? Does he fart in front of you? A Jorgon? I'm serious. Does he fart in front of you? Probably. Probably? Have you ever heard one before? I don't eat at the table with him. As I fart. Well, I haven't heard that. Okay, well, then we might have to be a little leery about this guy. Where is he want to meet? Where is this guy? Please just come to the keep. The keep? And who do we, we just ask to see Rufus? Yes. If you want to see him, please, I'll just take your names and he will know what to expect you. Certainly your appearance is easy to describe. Well, Frankwind is dabbing his mouth with his with his curchief and picks up his hat and places his hat on his head and turns to this gentleman. Perhaps this Rufus seeks the assistance of a wizard such as myself. I would be most interested. Perhaps you would have something to discuss with Byrne. Byrne? Be it as it may? I mean, Rufus has asked if these two fine people here would grant him an audience and certainly if you are associates, then you would all be welcome to the same audience. Yes, of course. They're here at our table certainly. So yes, I would like for them to come with us. I would like for Rufus to grant us all an audience. When shall I tell Rufus to expect? I don't like to get up too early. But tomorrow? Gentlemen. Yes, tomorrow. And in there, he's brilliant. Tomorrow after breakfast. That's still kind of early, but sure, that'd be fine. Okay, he inclined to say thank you. I shall pass the word along and may I please take your names? Just tell him the lady will call upon him. He smiles. Okay. And did the rest of you offer your names? Yes or no? Or? Sure. Jessica with the red granite hills. Decline's his head. Thank you. Hatpin elite wizard of the gills of alchemists and apothecrists. Ah, from Verba Bonk. Verba Bonk. Byrne also hails from Verba Bonk. Perhaps you will have much to discuss. Jorg and Goliath Smith. No, me, my very good map maker from a very good map making family. Excellent. Well, thank you. Well. I shall tell Rufus and Byrne to expect you tomorrow morning at your leisure. Thank you. He inclined his head slightly and then turns around and leaves. Be cool. What a grassy little man. Sometimes you have to get down in the dirt. Not I, madam. Well, it helps to understand the common people. You know, I suppose. Okay. Is there anything else you all want to do tonight? Or shall we just advance to post-breakfasting tomorrow? Yes. I have nothing to do tonight except. Nope. All right. Time passes. The night passes. It is morning. You've had your breakfast. You all meet up again at a table. Have your breakfast together at the end of the welcome winch. I have bags under my eyes. Try to do that. That's why I might be able to use a whip. But I don't know. I've just never tried it. It's just something that I might want to try sometime. But. Well, I've tried it before, but you know. I mean, it's something we'd have to probably practice. I'm not really good with those kind of weapons. But we want to go see Rufus or you want to go church in? Well, we told him we would go see him, so I suppose we should. I guess. Which the coffee was stronger here. The barista is really slow. Put the whiskey in the coffee. That's how you make it stronger. I guess. Where are those other guys? We have to get going. I assume that came down with you. It's like cracking your fancy rice. Probably they've been here the whole time. Well, fine. You have morning people. Neither am I. You have to wake up on your vacation to enjoy all of your vacation. Fine. It used to it. Fine. I'm here. I'm away. Especially if we're going to find a way or I'm going to find a way, but you know. I'm so I'm so with it. I'm so with it right now. I'm so together. We got to talk to Rufus, dude. Or at least they want to talk. Why do they want to talk to us? Do we look that cool? Are you wearing chain mail? Who? Me? Yes. Yes, of course. I'm wearing chain mail. Yeah. Do you have a shield? Yeah, I have a shield. I'm hopeful that this Rufus and Byrne can help us help me to find this canoness or give information and perhaps they would offer you the adventure you see. Do you think something's going on with the church? I don't know. There are rumors of bandits, certainly. What? And the forming of this militia seems inauspicious. One doesn't form a militia without something to fight against. All right. Let's go check it out, guys. So you go down the road to the east in town and you pass, like I said, this is a notable house. Eight-foot-high stone wall and a heavy gate that you think is the residence of, I think you've gathered. This is the residence of the village elder, but it's also where the whole town council meets. Wait a second, Damon. Sorry. I thought it was the other place. Oh, no. We'll get the next place. Come on. Look at there. This one has an eight-foot stone wall and it is a very nice house. It would be the nicest house in town with the most formidable wall, if not for this one, which is also a house, but this one is built entirely of stone and looks new. This house, not new, been around for decades. This house built in the last two years at most. Very fresh, very new, and large, entirely stone, large stone wall, very nice. But is it thicker and taller than the other one? Yes. One wall wise. Okay. Thank you. Yep. So, wrong wind. I don't know about you, but I don't appreciate new money. No, there's these blow-ins coming in from the east, isn't it? Flashing their new fat wealth. No. That's what it seems like. Look at this, look at the state of it. There's just no, there's no flair. There's no, there's no, there's no. There's no elegance to the, or elegance to the architecture. I know there isn't. Oscar, Oscar closes his eyes and sighs deeply. Here you see the, well, we'll just call it a tent city where you figure the laborers are dwelling and many of those labors are hard at work building up the stone wall going around the keep here. So these are like, you know, these are hills to hills. Okay. Oh, okay. So that's topography. Okay. Yep. And so this is, this is the keep you're heading to. It's about, somewhere between 50 and 60 feet tall. Total. And there's like a smaller inner tower that rises after, like inside of a larger outer one. There is a stairway that circumvents the outside of this little tower that comes up. So it's like wraps around it from the ground level up. It goes up about 10 feet. And there's actually a gap between the stairway and the, the keep. There's like a 15 to 20 foot gap. So the stairway is like 50 to 20 feet away from the edge of the keeps wall. You get to the top of that and you're at a landing. And at the landing, there's a drawbridge that actually would take you into the keep. And on it is a guard. You can see also that there are a lot of arrow slits. There are upper or lower battlements. They're immaculated. There are archery merlins available. So you can see two mated arms at the on the roof itself and they're watching you. And like I said, there is a guard also on the drawbridge. Bye. Bronquin will step forward. Today he's wearing a like a light purple cape and matching hat with a sparkling ruby at the center of it. So he's looking very well as a new hat. Yes. And he says, I say my good man. We actually say his calling on business with rufus and burn. Then what is this business? This piece is one of your business, my good man. I would like to make it persuasion roll. What are you trying to persuade? What are you saying? I'm trying to persuade this guard to lower this drawbridge and allow us in. The drawbridge is lowered. He's standing on it. For fuck's sake. Okay. Never mind. I would draw your drawbridge statement. Got it. Okay. He's this drawbridge, if I could. All right. And what is your business? We were asked to come. We were asked to come. Who is calling? Tell him the lady is here. The lady and her entourage. Yes. Please wait here. And he turns about face, goes back inside of the tower. And you can see him like point to either side of the entry of the entry door. And you see two guards fill the door way as he exits your space. And he comes back after say fiveish minutes. And you see a very well built man looks like he's in his early 40s. He's got a beard, a little bit of gray in it. He's a big guy. And he says, ah, welcome. Welcome. Please come in. Come in. And he leads you inside. You go inside and there's like a stairway that's on the inside wall and kind of wraps up. He takes you up a floor and you get to a landing and there's two doors. And he takes you into a door on the left and you enter a room and chamber. And he invites you to sit down also sitting there is another man. He's got a close crop beard. He looks to be a few years younger maybe than Rufus. He's thinner. He's actually behind a desk. And he's also dressed nicely. He's got fancy clothes on definitely nicer than what Rufus is wearing. He stands doesn't extend his hand or anybody says, ah, my name is burn pleasure to meet. All of you little surprising. We were really only interested in the lady. Is it? Yes. There's some other form of address or is this is this how you are called? I think you can call me the lady. And your compatriot's name is Oregon. Yes. Rufus says, yes, yes. So we can tell that you two are very experienced warriors and we have need of training the common folk of this town into an actual militia that might be able to repel bandits. There's been an increase in predation on the road between here and nope. There is an old moat house that was destroyed some 30 years ago in the great battle for the temple of elemental evil and now it seems to it perhaps might be an outpost again for something almost certainly not the temple. But something is there there are reports of people disappearing around that area. I suspect burns like you don't know anything. He says, just don't don't don't nothing. You haven't gone to investigate. How do you know? He's like, well, I can't. I'm too busy. Like that's why we're not doing it. Farmers around have disappeared. There are some elves from the woods that we have that used to do trade with the trading post. They haven't been seen in a long time and that's a little suspicious. They used to come every 10 or 12 days and they're not here anymore. And your cannon has sustained tough birds? Yes, also candidacy day is gone. She wasn't going there. She said she was going to nope. So I'm sure she skirted the moat house. So something else may have happened to her. Anyway, could we hire you on a to train this militia? I think it would take about well with you here. I think we could do we could do a reasonable job in about a month. So you're telling me that people are just disappearing and you don't know why? Well, people are scared and that's why we need this militia. You haven't tried to discover why people are disappearing. Nobody would go. We don't have anybody here that would do that. Well, possibly we could maybe go check it out for you. I would be most willing, especially if the Temple of Elemental Evil is rearing itself again. Burn just like literally go fall. He's like, God, no, that place was destroyed 30 years ago. My God has sent me here and I suspect it is for some deeper reason. Regardless, if it would be of service to you, can you tell us where this moat house is? It's farther along the road here. It's like halfway between here and nope. If you need to know more about the temple, if you know, talk to Juru or yeah, talk to Juru. He could tell you all you need to know about it. But I wouldn't worry about that. If you want to explore the moat house by all means, you're free to do so. I'm not sure what to make of it exactly. I'd like to go explore it. If we were to solve your little moat house problem. Burn tends his fingers. He's like, well, we would be grateful. How much would you be willing to pay us for our problems, for our troubles, for our efforts? Why don't you find something that's wrong first and then we can negotiate a price later? Because I don't think there's any danger there. Sir, I was not raised to be an idiot by my nannies, very intelligent, trained people themselves. Try again. Well, I mean, it's up to you. If you're curious, by all means, go about it. What we need, Rufus, is what we need, is for you to train our militia. That we will pay for. If we take care of this issue for you, how much were you going to pay us for training your militia? We would pay you quite handsome. We would pay you for copper a day. Or copper a day. Really? That's it. Oh, well, that's what we have to offer. I suspect you might have a little more. They look at each other. Well, perhaps our parlay here is done. Good day to you. Really? Sir, I don't think you'd be asking us if you had other options. No, that's why we did ask you. We don't have other options. That's what I thought. We're also, as you can see, putting a massive investment into the infrastructure of this town. We're already in debt. We can't really afford more. Really? Maybe we're approaching this differently. Maybe we should approach it from what we can provide. If we were able to provide you with some information about the local area so that you could be a little bit more informed, possibly about raids or the moat house, then you might be able to hone your militia properly. And we might be able to help alleviate some problems in the area. We could have a tit-for-tat relationship. Versus, I bet that would suit us just fine. That sounds lovely. Jorgon has such a soft heart. Fine. I've never done this before. I just got to shoot at the hip, but I think it sounds pretty cool. If you're a need of supplies, I tell you what we can do. If you think you might need supplies, I will meet with the Village Council. And I am sure you can get a line of credit at the Trading Post, in case you need things for this exploration and information gathering. That would be very helpful because I didn't come here with the intent of, you know, helping to save the town. So we don't, so we're not necessarily stocked for it. So yes, that would be very helpful. I should call a meeting tonight and we will discuss it. And we'll send word to your staying, you're all still staying at the inn for at least one more night. For the foreseeable future. I will send word to the inn by tomorrow. Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy your stay in hoblet. And if you find out anything, obviously report it back, please. We'd be very curious to know. One question. Yes? The new building across the road down there. Well, it's there. Ah, that's our stone mason. We brought him special from from Verbalonk. He's excellent. Your stone mason lives in that house. And house for a mason. That's why they only pay four coppers. Yeah, he came with, he came with, he's got his own apprentices and everything. And as you can see, he points to the tower itself. He's like, he's done a remarkable job already. DM question quick. When we were walking up on the keep and the wall and everything like that is. Wall is unfinished. You could easily just get through it. As in like, you know, like we can we walk over the top of it. But it's yeah, it's a part of it. You can't like it's not complete. Oh, it's not doesn't go all the way around. It's height is uneven. But the the bones of it are laid out essentially. Yeah, the foundation of it is laid out. Like it's been you can see that it's been surveyed out. Okay. Okay. Cool. Thank you. Well, that's fascinating. All right. Gentlemen, anything else? I don't believe so. Okay. Well, good day to you all. Thank you very much for any help you have to offer. I'm sure the council will agree to these terms. So, but I will let you know for sure. Tomorrow I will send my servant. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. And you are escorted down the stairs and across the drawbridge and off you go. There we go. Do you have other destinations or other people you wish to talk to today? Um, I guess I would like to meet with the, uh, replacement cannon. Sure. Algerow. What was his name? Churchon. Churchon. Yep. So you're going to go up here to the church. Anyone is welcome to join me if you wish, but I imagine you might have your own business. At some point, Jorgen is going to, uh, start saying weird little things into Orvish to see if Jessica catches onto it. Oh, you actually speak to Orvish? Yeah. Yeah, Jessica doesn't. That's the weird thing. Okay. No. He does. Well, um. But just, just to see if I can catch your ear and turn your head. That's about it. Oh, yeah. The moment you say something, I will recognize it since you haven't been speaking to Orvish thus far. Sure, sure. Okay. And then I'm just going to kind of like, I'm just going to, I know you, I know you gently with it. Yeah. He gives you a dwarf bro nod though. Okay. Okay. Bro nod. Got it. It's really a wag. It's a waggle of the beard, but you don't know. Unless you know. Okay. Come on up here. You go through the front doors. This building looks relatively new. It's newer than the inn, for example, which is well established. But not new as in like the stone mason house that we just described or the key. You know, you'd put it at like, you know, 20 to 40 years old. Maybe something like that. And it's nice. Uh, it's a good church. So you enter. It's not service time right now. And you see someone like kind of up at the desk who notices your entrance. And he comes down, he looks like a small nervous little man. He says, Oh, hello, how may I help you? I am Jessica Red Granite. I am chosen of Moradin. I am seeking the new canon of St. Cuthbert. Oh, church. Yes. Well, he's, he's doing prayers right now. He looks, he looks a little uncomfortable when he says this. He's like, but um, you know, I'm, I'm sure you could, you could schedule an audience with him if, if you would be willing to make a small donation to the church. As you know, we are helping the families who've, who've lost people to whatever, you know, these people who've gone missing and, and which we assume, maybe it's from bandits or, or things like that. But like we're, we're raising funds to aid them. I'm happy to wait until he has done with his devotions. I see. He's, he continues to look even more uncomfortable. He's like, yes. Um, through signs Moradin has told me that it is of the greatest interest to St. Cuthbert that I speak with him as soon as possible. Oh, of course. Of course. I'm just going to go, go ahead for a persuasion with that. Okay. I want you to make a roll. Okay. So I've got a plus two, but it's one of my proficiencies that makes it a plus four. Is that correct? Yep. If that's why I'm getting dirolling, right? You add your proficiency modifier to it. Which is two. Okay. Correct. So that is a 15. Oh, that's quite good. Okay, is it, it looks like you nearly bend his will to yours, but he resists. Is there a donation box lying around? Uh, yes. Ah, yes. No, I mean, I'm, I glance around to see. I'm not asking this fool. Oh, uh, uh, indeed. Yeah. In fact, it looks like it's kind of new. And it was right when you came in. Very prominent. And of course, the treasure of the dwarves is always willing to support St. Cuthbert. I drop in. I palm, you can't see what kind of coins I'm putting in, but I drop a few coppers in. Okay. Well, uh, let me go and, and see when Ken and Turjan might be finished with his, with his devotions and when he might be willing to receive you, uh, please, would you please have a seat when he hustles off? I just stare back at him. Is the building made of stone? Stone and wood. Okay. So, um, and large cathedral. Esque, um, room. Yeah, it's kind of shaped like an H. So like you entered, uh, on one long side of the H and then there's a narrow, like that, the narrow part. And then it goes to a, a wide H again. Okay. Jordan's going to, uh, whistle and try and see if he can just kind of like, play with the acoustics gently. Sure. You enjoy that. Okay. Good. Thank you. Several minutes later, uh, the nervous young man says, uh, yes. Turjan will, will see you now if, if you have the time. Of course. Uh, are, are, are all of you coming or, or just you good, sir? My friends are free to do as they please. Do you want to accompany me? I would love to meet this person. Yes. Okay. You're led up a little hallway and then you go off to the side into like, essentially a vestry or something and sitting down is average sized man, average looks human, if anything, he, he looks maybe a little pampered. He's not a, he's not a hard man. He's not like Rufus was, for example. That was, that, that was a guy who was clearly some kind of warrior, did something outdoorsy or physical labor. This guy doesn't do physical labor. And he says, uh, who do I have the pleasure of meeting here? I am Jessica of the Red Granite Hills, chosen of Moradin. Moradin is on St. Cuthbert. It's St. Cuthbert, right? St. Cuthbert of the Cudgel. St. Cuthbert to be a great friend of the Dorvus people and has sent me signs that we should seek your cat and us, who I understand has gone absent. Oh, yes. And I invite, uh, invite my companions to introduce themselves as well, if they want. You may call me the lady. Broke went to handpin. This is my servant, Jorgen. You've been devoted to servant now. Excellent. Well, it is a pleasure to meet all of you. I am Jorgen. What do you know about the disappearance of the cat and us? Yeah, it's all overblown. She, um, she's merely, she's merely gone to spread the word of St. Cuthbert to know and environs beyond to have no concern to anyone. Um, God, it sounds like he's a lion sack of shit. Can I try a perception role and active one? Insight. Probably the insight, even better, because I am proficient in that. And wisdom is my good thing. Yep, do it. Or a grand total of eight. And I took a lot of modifiers to get there. Yeah, he's absolutely telling the truth as far as you're concerned. Why has rumor so twisted the story then suggests that she has disappeared unexpectedly? Oh, well, the unfortunate thing about this is that other people have been disappearing for reasons that nobody seems to understand. No, she. Well, she's doing a mission for the church. Let's just put it that way. She's on a mission for God. It's right. Again. And unless anybody else knows the better. It's for their own good. Jessica turns to the rest of you and raises an eyebrow, inviting you if you have any follow-ups. Would you care to elaborate, perhaps? No, no, I cannot. I cannot. Sorry. We're truly too such fine individuals as I so. Well, you are very fine, but I don't actually know you. And I don't actually know what your motivations are. You're certainly welcome to Hamlet, of course. What are your motivations? I am here to run the church in Cananasi Day's absence. Until she returns. He's here to kick ass and burn incense. He's all out of incense. What does the church of Kuthbert do in the city? What's this with the city? What you know is that this is easily the most popular religion in Verbalanc and these areas. It's like the religion of the Duke and so on. So what it does is everything a church would do. There are festivals, serve the poor, that kind of stuff. I don't have religion as a skill, so I guess what that means. I wouldn't necessarily know the religious structure, i.e. there's a church here, which is a part of a basilica or part of. Oh no, this isn't like a Catholic structure. This is just a church. Okay, but is Saint Kuthbert more seen of as a religion? He's like an active patron god. Okay, would I know if he's known for like clerics and paladins and stuff like that, or just a religion? Oh, you would know that. Okay, I guess I just don't know if there's like a larger military organization around the church, or if it's just like, you know, that's what they, you know, just portray. All of you will know this. It's Robert that Saint Kuthbert was once just a guy. But he ascended to godhood based on his battles against evil. Like he's like incredibly lawful, big on the whole order thing. He's very combative. Like he's kind of a war hero god. Most of Saint Kuthbert's religious locations are like shrines or maybe crude chapels, but Verbalch has like a cathedral. And you would qualify what's happening here in Hamlet as a small temple, which is unusual for a village the size of Hamlet. Normally you would expect nothing more than like a chapel, but this is a temple. And it's more than Hamlet would normally need, if that makes sense. They spent a lot of money. They spent a lot of money here. Copy. And I guess, yeah, that was like, okay, so they good doors, good like cathedral, big, big building, large enough for things. Yeah, this is on the, maybe this is on the small side for cathedral, but it is a cathedral. It's, you know, it's still a significant building. It's too big for this village clearly. It's too big for this village. Yeah, it really is, it honestly is. Well, yeah, it doesn't really make sense for Hamlet to have one this nice. But is it buttressed? Sorry, sorry, the minutia is getting a little too far. All right, I'm done. And to, all right, I'll say to change the subject, we've heard other rumors that the disappearances of farmers and others may somehow be connected to this old moat house. Do you know anything of this? Well, it was once an outpost of the temple and ultimately, but that's the big history of this area, right? Hamlet was where the armies mustered to go and sack that place in it and sack it. They did destroy it, laid it low, utterly, and the moat house was left in ruins, left uninhabitable. How many years ago? About 30 years ago. I think that is all of our business here, unless anyone else has anything to ask. Thank you for your time. Good cannon. Of course, of course, always feel free to leave a donation we can use. All the money we can get to help these poor souls. Not politely. The seems like a good spot to stop. It's a good place to say, yeah. Yeah, to the moat house. To the moat house. I would agree. Let's get drunk first. [Music]
We kick off our SIXTH season (??!!!) with a 5e playthrough of Gary Gygax's classic module "The Village of Hommlet". There's a village. There's a shifty priest. There's a ruined moat house. Everything is fine. SUBSCRIBE LIKE SHARE COMMENT